Cup rack



GJGRAY CUP RACK Aug. 12, 1952 Filed Jan. 17, 1950 George Gray INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 12, 1952 ,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

CUP RACK George Gray, Elgin, Ill;

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a cup rack and more specifically pertains to a slidable support bracket for simultaneously mounting in a compact manner a plurality'of cups or similar articles,

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved cup rack wherein a plurality of; cups or similar articles may be mounted in apcompact manner and may simultaneously be slidable into an extended or a retracted position as desired.

' A further object of the invention is to provide an-improved cup rack in conformity with the foregoing objects having an improved construction'for retaining the slidable support bracket in a support track. l

to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a support rack in conformity with the above mentioned objects wherein a plurality of support arms may be firmly secured to the hanger portion of a bracket.

These, together with variousancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained bythe present invention, a. preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the. improved cup rack operatlvely mounted upon a cabinet shelf in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view showing structural details and arrangement of the improved support rack in accordance wlthFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially upon theplane indicated by the sectionline 3-3 of Figure 2 and showing in particular the arrangement of the support track, the slideand hanger of the bracket, and the manner of associating the same with the support track together with the mounting of the support arms upon the hanger;

fFigurefi llis a fragmentary perspective view, parts being broken away, showing further details of the: manner of slidably mounting the bracket upon the support track; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 of a slightly modified construction.

Referring now more specifically t the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, the numeral I0 designates a portion of a cabinet,

Application January 17, 1950, Serial No. 139,009

1 Claim. (Cl. 211- 113) shelf or other suitable construction and which P, of the bottom wall, these side walls being, outturned to provide oppositely extending horizontal support flanges 20 at their upper extremities, these flanges being adapted to engage a horizon-'- tal support member suchas the shelf 12 and to be detachably secured thereto as by fastening screws or the like 22. H

Slidably mounted in the channel member forming the support track or guideway is a supporting bracket which may conveniently consist of a single strip of metal or similar material which, as shown in Figure 3, may conveniently be of semi-oval cross-section and which is bent into a U-shape to comprise parallel, integrally connected portions. One of these portions, such as that indicated at 24, and may be hereinafter designated as the upper portion, constitutes a slide which is longitudinally slidable within the channel member I4 and which is prevented against any but longitudinal movement by means of the converging walls l8 and the bottom wall I6, which thusretain and. guide the slide within the trackway. Th other parallel portion, which may be hereinafter referred to as the lower portion of the bracket, is preferably parallel to the upper portion 24 as shown at 26, and constitutes a hanger which underlies the trackway or support track [4 when the slide 24 is disposed therein. Preferably, although not necessarily, the slide and hanger 24 and 26 are coextensive in length, although they may be of varied lengths as se sired; and these members are conveniently integrally connected as by a loop portion 28'at one end thereof, this loop constituting a handle by means of which the bracket may be moved longitudinally of the support track, as will be apparent from Figures 1 and 2.

Although not necessitated by th principlesof the invention, a convenient retaining and brace means may be provided. For this purpose, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, a medially disposed longitudinal slot 30 is provided intermediate the ends of the bottom wall It of the support track and a combined brace and fastening pin 32 extends through this slot, and is fixedly secured in any desired manner to the adjacent surfaces of 3 the slide and hanger. It will thus be seen that by this construction rigidity is imparted t the support bracket, the same is mounted in the support track for guided sliding movement therein while preventing withdrawal of the-same.

As will be readily apparent from Figure 2, the pin 32, by its engagement with the two extremities of the longitudinal slot 30, may constitute a stop means which limits the retracted or the extended position of the bracket with respect to the support track.

However, whether the slot and pin construe-- tion is employed or not and regardless of whether the pin 32 is rigidly attached to both the slide and the hanger, an improved means is provided whereby a plurality of articles may be compactly but sjeparatelyand detachably mounted upon and moved with the bracket; For this purpose, there areprovideda plurality of support arms 3!, of any suitable construction, and which, as shown, may conveniently consist of stifi wire, rods or the like; having hook portions 33 at their opposite extremities, and being mounted in l'o'ngitudi na-lly spaced and transverse positions upon the hanger 2 6 Preferably, the support arms 34- are fixedly" an'd- 'fi'rmly' attached at their mid-portions to the hanger to form a rigid assembly therewith. For this purpose, various fastening means'may be provided to effect the desired result; O'ne' satisfactory means consists of a'plural'it'y of'apert'ures or" recesses 66- disposed -inlongitudinally spaced relation in the hanger 25, and the mid-portions or thesupport arms 3 4 are provided with loop portions 38'which are received in these apertures or'recesses and are retained therein in any suitable manner.

Obviously, various expedient'scould be employed for rigidly and firmly securing the separately formed support arms in their anchoring recesses orapertures in the hanger. Thus, spot welding, bolts, clamps, rivets or similar fasteners couldbe employed. However, it is preferred to obtain the desired result-by swaging portions of the material of the hanger 26 adjacent the re-' cesses against the loop portions 38, and conveni'ently, triangular portions til may be pressed downwardly into'the, recesses and tightly against the loop portions to thereby firmly anchor the support arms therein. e v

Alternatively", as shown inFigu'r 5, the shelf [2 may be provided with a simpler and-less expensive" form of support track and slide which may beformedor constructed entirely" of sheet metal. In this embodiment there are provided a p'airof metallic strips having flanges 5'11- adapted to" be secured as by fastening screws 52 to the under surface oi the shelf 12, these flanges having laterallyoff's'et, horizontally extending fiat portions 54- which extend toward and terminate in" spaced relation'witlr respect to each other to provide a slot 56 extending longitudinally of and intermediate the two strips. The supporting bracket or slide is preferably formed of a single sheet metal element folded along its'longitudinal' media as at 58; and having parallel, vertically disposed abutting side wall portions 60' whose upper ends are provided with outwardly and horizontally extending flange portions 62. Trans versely extending support rods 64 are disposed at longitudinal intervals along the side walls 20 adjacent their bottom edge, and may extend through apertures 68 in the side walls and be secured thereto as by welding 10 or the like, the rod 64 being provided with hooks, not shown, for supporting the cups in the same manner indicated in Figures 1-3.

It will be seen that the juxtaposed side walls 60 extend through the slot 56 and are slidable with respect thereto, in exactly the same manner as the member 32 of the preceding embodiment, while the oppositely disposed flanges 62 are receivedand retained in the space between the flanges 54 and the bottom of the shelf l2.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has provided: a simple, inexpensive yet sturdy and enici'ent support rack for compactly retaining and supporting: a plurality of articles in separate, detachable position, whereby the entire assembly may be: readily advanced orretract'ed into and from. a storage space. During this movement, it will: be seen that the support bracket-is retained in a. sliding guide'di engagement in a support track or guideway;

From the foregoing, the construction andop eration of the device will be readily understood and further explanation isbelieved to be unnec essar'y. However, since the numerous modifications and changes will readily occur: to' those 'skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing: specification and accompanying drawings; it is not desired. to limit the invention to the exactconstruction shown and described,:but all suitablemodifications and: equivalents ma be resorted to, falling. within the; scope of theasp-- pended claim.

Having: described the mvention, whatis clai "ed as newisr V A- cup rack comprising a hollow supp'ort track; a bracket having a slide m'ova-bly secured fo and slidable' within said track and a hanger positiened adjacent and secured to said slide and positioned: beneath said track, transverse support arms havinghooked terminals; means fastening saidarmste said hanger spaced relation, said track comprising a channel member having a fiat; longitudinally slotted bottom wall and upwardl y converging side walls, outwardly extending mounting flanges on the edges ofsaid side-Wall's GEORGE GRAY.

REFERENCES CITED I The following references are of, record in the file" of" this patent:

- UNI-TED STATES PATENTS 

